Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 092

Chapter 92: The Prisoner

Suddenly, the masked man raised his right hand and made a gesture!

Instantly, countless boats emerged from the woods behind Jiang Mi. In the blink of an eye, the entire waterway was filled with these dagger-like boats.

The densely packed dagger-like boats, the countless blades reflecting the torchlight, and the heavily armed soldiers standing in neat rows on the dock—even the most clueless person would know that the boats were surrounded!

Jiang Mi had been imprisoned in the Taoist temple for the past year and a half, with little contact with the outside world and no possibility of reading the official gazette. Therefore, she was completely unaware of the situation outside. Involuntarily, she and several guests turned to look at the middle-aged scholar.

The middle-aged scholar’s expression was very grim.

He looked anxiously at the Southern Tang people, his face grim. After a moment, the middle-aged scholar said in a trembling voice, “I’m afraid there are very important figures on those three boats ahead, which is why this Southern Tang general’s strategist has personally intervened!”

Beside him, a young boy quickly asked, “What do you mean?”

The middle-aged scholar turned to look at the crowd. In the light of the distant lamplight, his face was pale as a ghost. He said in a low voice, “In other words… we might be taken captive!”

The boy still did not understand. He was about to ask again when suddenly, a series of splashes rang out!

Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound.

They saw several figures leaping into the river from the two foremost boats.

The boy immediately cried out, “Those people must be the Southern Tang people they are after! What do we do now? They jumped into the water to escape!”

The boy’s voice had barely faded when another series of splashes rang out.

But then, people jumped into the water from several other boats.

Amidst the splashing sounds, the masked man on the dagger-like boat let out a cold laugh. Without any visible movement, a splash ensued, and everyone turned to see hundreds of Southern Tang people clad in tight-fitting watersuits on the river, carrying fishing nets! Nets upon nets! And inside those nets were the people who had just jumped into the river!

Everyone: “…”

An eerie silence ensued. The dagger-like boats, surrounding the masked man, sailed towards the group of boats.

The masked man arrived incredibly fast, appearing in the middle of the group in the blink of an eye. He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes beneath the mask coldly sweeping over the group of people. Then he spoke, his voice deliberately suppressed, cold yet textured, “Lord, he has been captured!”

Almost immediately after he spoke… Jiang Mi was startled, her brows furrowing slightly as she wondered, “Where have I heard that voice before?”

While Jiang Mi was still lost in thought, panic erupted on all five boats.

The masked man, clearly accustomed to such scenes, did not even blink at the cries all around. With a wave of his hand, the Southern Tang soldiers pressed forward!

On the boat Jiang Mi was on, the faces of all the passengers were grim. Frankly, those who could afford to travel by boat during this chaotic time were either wealthy merchants or officials. In other words, these people were all quite rich, and now, as prisoners, they were utterly desperate. Especially the female passengers on the ship, their faces ashen. Women who had fallen into a foreign land rarely retain their chastity… Now prisoners, they feared they would never return home, their hopes forever dashed!

Compared to these people, Jiang Mi was unusually calm.

Jiang Mi was staring intently at the Young Master in blue robes on the nearby ship.

…That Young Master was none other than the man Jiang Mi had been chasing all along, the one who looked remarkably like her elder brother!

The guards, seeing Jiang Mi still trying to claim kinship, shook their heads. They looked around, and the more they looked and listened to the conversations around them, the more they felt the current situation was hopeless!

After a while, the young man asked the middle-aged scholar in a trembling voice, “Do you know who Changching is? How will he treat the prisoners?”

The middle-aged man’s face also darkened. He said in a hoarse voice, “Such a small matter—how could Changching possibly care? I’m afraid he will follow the old Southern Tang practice of treating prisoners. All the men will be sent to the army, and the women will be sent to brothels or become military prostitutes…”

Before he could finish speaking, a suppressed, desperate sob came from the ship.

Jiang Mi shifted her gaze from the young man who looked remarkably like Jiang Wu.

She turned to the middle-aged scholar and said softly, “No! This is Shu State territory after all. These Southern Tang people have crossed the line. They probably want to leave before the Shu army can react, so they might not take us prisoners with them!”

Jiang Mi, a young lady who had been wearing a veil, was someone no one expected to speak up.

The middle-aged scholar listened, stunned. He looked up at Jiang Mi for a moment, then nodded and said, “This young lady’s right… I, an old man, though well-read, am not as clear-headed as a young lady.”

Hearing even the middle-aged scholar agree with Jiang Mi, those around them turned to look. The young man eagerly asked, “Then, then what? What will they do?”

Jiang Mi, however, turned to look into the depths of the riverbank.

After observing for a while, Jiang Mi replied in a low voice, “These people have infiltrated Shu State to capture certain individuals. In that case, their next move will likely be to gather us together and examine us one by one. Then, they will take away those they want, and as for the rest of us, they might release us, or they might use us to hinder the Shu State troops!”

Jiang Mi’s analysis was reasonable, and even the middle-aged scholar nodded repeatedly, instantly calming everyone down.

Just then, a whistle blew, and immediately all the dagger-like boats moved!

These dagger-like boats came from all directions, like a net for fishing, forcing the other ships towards the center!

In no time, the five ships were squeezed together by the dagger-like boats. As soon as the dagger-like boats stopped, torches were lit, and dozens, even hundreds, of Southern Tang soldiers jumped onto each ship! The first three ships, in particular, were swarmed with Southern Tang soldiers!

…Just as Jiang Mi had predicted, the Southern Tang people were gathering them together for inspection!

Seeing that Jiang Mi’s prediction had come true, the crowd surrounding her breathed a sigh of relief. They huddled tightly around her, their demeanor already showing unwavering devotion.

The Southern Tang people moved swiftly; in the blink of an eye, they had dragged out more than a dozen people from the three ships.

Among those they dragged out were men and women, old and young, some even dressed as servants.

After identifying the dozen or so individuals, the Southern Tang soldiers visibly relaxed, their movements becoming much more unhurried as they turned towards the two boats carrying Jiang Mi.

In the blink of an eye, over a hundred Southern Tang soldiers leaped onto the boat carrying Jiang Mi.

Seeing these Southern Tang soldiers approaching with resounding strides and a murderous aura, the courage the crowd had just mustered vanished instantly. In the cold glint of their blades, the crowd huddled together, each trying to minimize their presence.

However, even as everyone huddled together, the Southern Tang soldiers unhesitatingly scrutinized each person, pulling at their hair.

After examining a dozen or so and releasing them all, the Southern Tang soldiers approached Jiang Mi.

Upon seeing Jiang Mi, one of them coldly said, “Remove your veil!”

Jiang Mi’s lips moved slightly. After a moment of hesitation, she obediently removed her veil.

Almost instantly, the dozen or so Southern Tang soldiers were stunned into silence.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Mi put her veil back on and lowered her head.

Only then did the Southern Tang soldiers come to their senses. Even after regaining their composure, they continued to stare intently at Jiang Mi. One Southern Tang soldier leaned close to another leader’s ear and whispered, “Boss, a beauty like her is a rare sight in the entire Southern Tang. Why do you not…?”

The leader, still gazing longingly at Jiang Mi, shook his head and muttered, “Are you crazy? Do you not know who’s leading this group today!” As he spoke, he glanced at the masked figure in the darkness and shuddered.

In the blink of an eye, the Southern Tang soldiers had circled the passenger ship, searching everyone thoroughly.

However, Jiang Mi’s ship was only carrying ordinary passengers, and after their search, they did not take anyone with them.

After watching the Southern Tang soldiers whisper among themselves, they turned to leave. A dozen or so sighs came from beside Jiang Mi, and the young man and the middle-aged scholar collapsed to the ground, their legs giving way.

…But just then, the Southern Tang soldiers suddenly stopped! Then, several of them turned around and started walking towards the group again!

The group that had collapsed struggled to their feet again. Their complexions, which had returned to normal, turned pale and bluish again! Especially the middle-aged scholar, whose teeth chattered and who was trembling even more violently!

And the Southern Tang soldiers were heading straight for the middle-aged scholar and Jiang Mi… They walked towards her!

In the blink of an eye, these men stopped in front of Jiang Mi. After glancing at the middle-aged scholar, one of them waved his hand and shouted in a deep voice, “Take both of them away!” He was referring to the middle-aged scholar and Jiang Mi!

Instantly, Jiang Mi’s face turned pale. She involuntarily cried out in a shrill voice, “Why?” Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang Mi understood everything from the lecherous gazes of these men.

While Jiang Mi was still able to speak, the middle-aged scholar beside her had already collapsed to the ground after the man spoke!

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Mi and the middle aged scholar were taken away, and those around them who tried to resist were also taken away.

Two Southern Tang soldiers escorted Jiang Mi from the gangplank onto a dagger-like boat. The captives, grouped together, began to sail forward.

The masked Young Master stood with his hands behind his back in the darkness, listening expressionlessly to the occasional desperate cries and pleas for mercy all around him. He remained motionless throughout, like a statue standing in the darkness.

Gradually, the boats carrying the people passed by him one by one.

Gradually, the boat carrying Jiang Mi approached the masked man…